James Deen: Porn's 'boy next door' denies rape and assault allegations

American porn star James Deen has denied a string of "egregious" allegations of sexual abuse made by women working in the industry, including a former girlfriend.

Deen, one of the adult industry's most famous performers, was initially accused by his former partner, fellow porn actor Stoya.

In a series of tweets, the actress alleged that Deen, 29, held her down and had sex with her "while I said, no, stop, used my safeword".

She complained that Deen - whose real name is Byan Sevilla - had been described as a "feminist" by some on the internet.

After the allegations came to light, the hashtag #SolidarityWithStoya began trending on Twitter, while another former girlfriend of Deen offered Stoya her support.

Later, Tori Lux, another porn star, claimed Deen had assaulted her during filming.

Writing a personal account for the Daily Beast website, she alleged Deen had "straddled" her chest and hit her in the face, after she had refused his advances.

She claims he then "grabbed me by my hair and shoved me to my knees" before allegedly pushing her face into his crotch.

Adult actress Ashley Fires also spoke to the website, alleging that Deen had attempted to rape her - prompting her to refuse to work with him.

Deen - who has a large online following of fans, many of whom call themselves "Deenagers - himself took to Twitter to deny the "egregious claims" made against him, claiming the allegations were "false and defamatory".

Deen has now seen his regular column on the women's lifestyle website The Frisky cancelled.

In a post, Editor-in-chief Amelia McDonnell-Parry said she had "very much liked" the actor and his "emphasis on communication, honesty, and, most of all, CONSENT" - adding that the allegations against him made her "heartsick".

Los Angeles-born Deen has been described as the "boy next door" of pornography, and he started working in the industry aged just 18.

Writer Brett Easton-Ellis, who cast Deen in a mainstream film, The Canyons, with Lindsay Lohan in 2012, described him at the time as "accessible", adding: "He’s not some hot-blooded, super-tanned caveman pumping it – he’s a cute boy you could have gone to college with."

However, the adult film company Kink.com has now said it will cut all ties with him immediately following the claims, and he has now resigned from the board of the porn artists' union, the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee.

It is unclear whether the allegations will lead to a criminal investigation.